In discussions about mindfulness where I bring in the Christian traditions of deep prayer, contemplation, and meditation, I regularly receive responses akin to: “Yes, they are all aiming for the same thing.” And soon, the other person will proceed with what they see as the aim of both the Christian and their practice of
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In the next few weeks some synods, in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, are reconsidering the request from General Synod Te Hinota Whanui to change our Church’s Constitution. The majority need to agree to the change for it to proceed. In the considerations about this last year, no diocesan synod voted
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Once again, Roman Catholics and Anglicans/Episcopalians share a common collect this coming Sunday (August 30). I am working on producing a full set of shared collects for the church year. My work so far can be found here: Book of Prayers in Common. My rendering for this coming Sunday and the week following is: Let
Another Collect in Common Read More »
In an age in which “reason” is regularly contrasted with “religion” in our infotainment-driven media, it has been encouraging to find a couple of articles in the last week or so that firmly put reason with religious faith, not against it. My friend, Rev. Ron Hay (we trained together for the priesthood), has been in
Brother Roger Schütz founded the ecumenical monastery of Taizé in 1940. This year, then, marks 100 years since his birth (May 12, 1915), 75 years since the founding of the community, and, this week we have been remembering 10 years since Br Roger was murdered. Br Roger had a passion for justice, contemplation, reconciliation, and
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The 2014 documentary, Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago, has just come to cinemas here. My understanding is that this is a not-for-profit documentary by Lydia Smith who walked the Camino in 2008. She managed to get people walking the Camino to be part of this film. The film has been edited down from
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Mindfulness is everywhere. Practices from Buddhism and Hinduism are being used in home, schools, and workplaces. People are cleansing their chakras, feeling their breathing, and visualising… Schools are practicing mindfulness at the start of every lesson… While some have criticised the trendiness as McMindfulness, I want to focus here on this being yet another example
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Before I went to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, I knew about the saying, “Ultreia!” and the response, “et Suseia!”. “Ultreia!” was what one pilgrim said to another, and “et Suseia!” is the reply. This Latin/French/Spanish means something like, “Go further!” and “And go higher!” The words appear in the 11th century hymn,
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